Correction: In the original version of this article, Cami Pease was misquoted. The current version of the article represents her actual sentiments.
Standing before a crowd of nearly 100 winter and spring pledges, a former sorority sister shared the story of a night she will never forget ““ one in which she was nearly raped at a fraternity house after a dangerous combination of jungle juice and a blind date with a football player.
Cinda Keating Lucas, a USC graduate and Gamma Phi Beta alumna, addressed a broad range of issues faced by college women at Tuesday night’s Panhellenic Spring New Member Forum in the second floor lounge of Ackerman Union.
She related the issues of women’s confidence and self-esteem to drinking in social situations and the pressure women feel to drink in order to be comfortable at an event.
Lucas discussed the common trend of “pre-gaming,” a term referring to the consumption of alcohol before a party, usually with the intent of getting intoxicated in advance.
“The pre-partying is the worst thing, that seems to be the biggest issue because the Greek systems are tight. They know they won’t be able to drink at the event,” Lucas said.
In her presentation, Lucas linked pre-gaming with feelings of insecurity and a need to use alcohol as a confidence booster before a party or to loosen up.
“I think self-esteem is probably the key to the entire thing,” Lucas said.
For the pledges in the audience, the lessons shared were a reminder of the dangers of unsafe partying.
Troy Bartels, UCLA’s Panhellenic adviser, said the event, which is held every fall and spring quarter for new sorority members, is devoted to teaching the women to be “self-safe.”
“We know things are going to happen, but we really want to be preventative,” Bartels said.
London McBride, a university police officer, advised the women to be proactive in the event of an attack, emphasizing that they did not have to be victims. He advised them to fight back, with tools such as pepper spray or a rape whistle, in the event of an attack.
“You always have to be on the lookout and make sure you are traveling in groups, always looking out for yourself,” said Caroline Huang, a first-year political science student who is pledging this quarter.
The pledges also watched a video titled “Know Your Limits,” which depicted a woman binge drinking and vomiting, and it concluded with the slogan, “You wouldn’t start a night like this, so why end it that way?”
Laura Shoemaker, a first-year undeclared student who pledged winter quarter, said in her experiences she never felt pressured to drink.
Cami Pease, a second-year political science student in a sorority, said she has been in at least one situation in which she will take a drink because she is not having much fun at an event, Greek or other.
She added that this is not just a phenomenon of Greek life.
Lucas also shared the story of a fellow Gamma Phi Beta chapter officer who told Lucas that she felt that she needed to take shots before a party because she thought she wasn’t a good enough dancer.
Looking around at the room full of new sorority members, Lucas said she was going to try and get them to dance.
Blasting Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” Lucas danced fearlessly around the room, asking the pledges to join her. Only a handful actually did.
With regards to UCLA’s newest sorority members, Lucas said her goal is to keep them from putting themselves in vulnerable situations through the unsafe use of alcohol.
“I’m hoping to (help these women) understand that they should have more confidence than to take six shots before going to a party,” Lucas said.